Welcome to the weekend, my friends! This has been one of my favorite weeks of the year. I’m blessed with some amazing girlfriends who fly out every December so that we can spend several days together for Christmas. We’ve had so much fun and the icing on this perfect week is the fact that I have two of my brothers here now for the weekend. Here’s to more great food, loads of laughter, and all the Christmas memories.
ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: If you’d told me a few years ago just how delicious roasted beets could be, I wouldn’t have believed it. Now though? I absolutely love having them on hand in the fridge. Roasted golden beets are earthy, sweet, and tender. Their vibrant sunny color is intensified by roasting and the resulting beets have a slightly caramelized flavor. They’re a great side dish on their own and can be dressed up with a drizzle of balsamic or a bit of olive oil and herbs.
Those sweet roasted beets are combined with peppery arugula and then tossed with creamy goat cheese and crunchy walnuts to make the golden beet salad that I can’t stop eating. Drizzled with a vinaigrette or a balsamic glaze, it’s a vibrantly colorful and flavorful salad that I love.
Sea Salt Pecan Toffee is the answer to your snacking and sweet tooth dreams. The end. Do I exaggerate? Sometimes, yes. But right now? Not really. There aren’t a whole lot of foods that I label as “The Best Ever” or “crazy insane amazingly delicious” but this toffee recipe is exactly that. All of those things. It is EVERYTHING.
Mexican Wedding Cookies are tiny melt-in-your-mouth cookies that are known by many different names around the world. My grandmother called them Sugar Butter Balls.
Blueberry gelato is a delightful fusion of creamy, rich gelato married to an irresistible tangy fruitiness. When you combine the smooth richness of homemade ice cream with berries or a berry sauce, the result is always a refreshing, creamy treat – and this blueberry gelato doesn’t disappoint.
These mint chocolate chip cookies are an absolute dream come true for anyone who loves mint chocolate. (Both of my hands are waving in the air right now, by the way. That’s me – 100%.)
Creamy chunks of chocolate and crunchy candy canes meet up in perfectly chewy cookies with crisp edges to create these White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies. When I initially had the idea for these cookies, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but let me tell you that the results went way beyond my hopes. I tasted one cookie and then ate two more in just a few minutes before I managed to get them packaged up to share with friends.
What I’m CRAVING: It’s all about the Carne en su Jugo this week. My oldest son requested it for his birthday dinner and since it’s a favorite for all of us, I cooked a huge pot of it. I clearly need to make it more often, because I’m still craving it!
My FAVORITE THING this week is this Daim candy bar. Are you familiar with these??? I kid you not, this is all I’ve been able to think about this morning. I may have issues. My friend Christi sent some to us for Christmas and we inhaled them in just minutes. (That could be embarrassing if they weren’t justifiably so good!)
If you like Heath candy bars with their crunchy toffee caramel center and chocolate coating, these Daim bars might be the greatest thing you’ve ever tasted. Yeah, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit here, but maybe I’m not. I can resist pretty much every candy bar out there at this point, but I tasted these and literally could not stop. I already told Sean that I expect to see more of them in my stocking for Christmas.
What I’m READING: Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I didn’t necessarily enjoy this book, as it was a heartbreaking story – but I could hardly put it down this week. It’s a love story told after loss, as the newly married couple only had a few short days together. It is a beautiful story and I’m glad I read it, despite the need for tissues several times.
I’ll leave you with my favorite line from the book: “You love someone like that, you love them the right way, and no time would be enough. Doesn’t matter if you had thirty years. It wouldn’t be enough.”
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV
Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile!
Mary
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